Germany’s Greiss on jet lag, Worlds and NHL

The goalie plays a huge role on a hockey team. Look no further than Thomas Greiss’s 31-save outing in Germany’s 3-2 upset over the U.S for proof.

With Greiss in goal, the New York Islanders qualified for the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in 23 years. Apart from allowing a flukey goal in his debut in the 5-2 win over Belarus, Greiss has been one of Germany’s best players since arriving in St. Petersburg. The Germans have a great chance to make the quarter-finals on his watch.

Thomas, congratulations on your wins against Belarus and the Americans. What are your early impressions?

Thank you. Everything is OK. Against Belarus I made a mistake. This was an accident, and I’ve moved on. The main thing is that we won. We have a simple objective in every gameL to win.

Was it difficult to get over your jet lag?

I’m fine! The journey took a whole day and the flight was a long one. Of course, getting used to the different time zones takes a while. But when I got out on the ice, i immediately forgot about all difficulties.

What was your mood when you arrived in St. Petersburg?

Good. We have a great atmosphere in the squad. I like the way we’ve been training. We want to do our best.

Would you say your NHL season was a success?

In general, yes. We won in the first round, and that’s fine. There was a chance in the second round too. Thats why I’m a little bit disappointed. I want to show my best form here with the German national team.

Did you follow the Worlds during the Stanley Cup playoffs?

I saw a couple of highlights of my team and followed separately a couple of the U.S. games. During the playoffs you need to concentrate on your game. There is no time for anything else.

Was it easy for you to confirm your participation in this tournament?

It was easy. I went through all the formalities and left for Russia.

Nearly all NHLers say that it's not easy to adapt from NHL rinks to European rinks. What can you say about it?

Actually, there is a little bit of a different game in Europe. Different distances and rules, different shooting angles. I started to play hockey in Germany, so for me it;s not a problem.

In your opinion, who are the favorites at this tournament?

As I mentioned, I didn't follow the Worlds that closely. Canada is still the champion, Sweden and Finland are always strong, and Russia has a great roster. And as a host team, they are really dangerous. If we go to the playoffs, we will probably end up against Russia. But this isn’t the right time to think about it.

What do you think of the way these Worlds have been organized?

It’s clear that a lot of work was done. Everything is perfect. We can focus totally on hockey. Also, St. Petersburg is a beautiful city.

What are the goals you’ve set for yourself and as a team?

I don’t like to discuss that. We’re going game to game. First of all, we need to qualify for the quarter-finals. After our win against the U.S., we have a good chance, but we will see what happens in the last day of group play.